PRINCIPLES THAT GOVERN FEEDING T8l 



be best suited to effect a given purpose in feeding. 

 The purposes sought are such as maintenance or the 

 production of flesh, of fat, of milk or of work. For 

 the sake of precision it is usual to state these amounts 

 as proportions or ratios, and when so expressed they are 

 spoken of as the nutritive ratio resulting from the foods 

 used in the feeding standards. A feeding standard differs 

 from a nutritive ratio in giving the proportionate amounts 

 of the digestible food factors found in the foods selected 

 from which to form the ration, which experience has shown 

 to be best suited to the purpose, whereas the nutritive ratio 

 is simply a statement of the relation which these bear to one 

 another. The first relates to foods and their chemical con- 

 stituents, whereas the latter relates to the quantitative rela- 

 tion which these bear to one another. 



The following is an example of a feeding standard that 

 has been found suitable for the sufficient maintenance of 

 cattle at rest, that is, cattle neither doing work nor laying 

 on flesh or fat. The amounts are calculated per day and per 

 looo pounds live weight. 



Digestible nitrogenous substance, 0.7 pounds 



" carbohydrates, 8.25 " 



fat, 0.15 " 



Total nutritive substance, 9.10 



carbohydrates and fat 8.4 



Nutritive ratio, I :i2 



Total organic dry matter required, 17.5 



In regard to the above it will be noticed : ( i ) That the 

 ratio is a wide one and for the reason that the animal is at 

 rest. Had the same animal been producing, the ratio would 

 have to be narrowed, that is, it would have to contain a 

 much larger proportion of nitrogenous substance, and the 

 total amount of nutritive dry substance required would 



